


Home for Christmas

by Ultra



Series: All Our Happy Endings [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Children of Characters, Christmas, F/M, Family, Fluff in the Dark Castle (Once Upon a Time), Happy, Home, Love, Pregnancy, Snow, Snow Angels, The Dark Castle (Once Upon a Time), The Enchanted Forest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-12
Updated: 2013-12-12
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: Rumpel, Belle, and a white Christmas.





	Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for florencia7 on LiveJournal.

It had been a long time coming to this point, in more ways than one. Nobody had ever truly believed they could get back to the Enchanted Forest like this, nevermind rebuild as much as they had. Magic helped, of course. After they found ways to combine the fairies abilities with the Dark One’s magic, they really couldn’t fail. Now they were all back in the places where they belonged, and Rumpelstiltkin felt he was the luckiest of anyone.

“For a man who spent so long behind the thickest curtains I ever saw, you do spend an awful lot of time by the window these days, Rumpelstliltskin,” said Belle as she appeared in the doorway.

“There was nothing better to look at until you returned, dearie,” he replied with a smile as he crossed the room to assist her in walking.

Belle might have taken offence since she was quite able to take care of herself, but she could not blame Rumpel for worrying. She was ridiculously large in the late stages of her pregnancy and it bothered him a great deal that something awful might befall her before her time to deliver came.

“I’m fine,” she promised as he helped her to a chair where she too could look out at the view beyond the Dark Castle. “I only feel bad because I know your real reason for staring out into the distance,” she said then.

Rumpel tried to say he didn’t understand what she meant, but Belle knew better. Neither of them were stupid, after all.

“If not for my condition, you could be with Baelfire for Christmas.” She sighed, knowing as well as he did that it was true.

It was the greatest relief when Emma had agreed to come over to the Enchanted Forest with Henry, and an even bigger relief when Baelfire had said he would follow. The relationship between Emma and Bae was probably never going to be romantic, but both lived at the Royal Castle to be with their son, and Emma’s parents too. Rumpel understood that, though he had originally wished Bae would come stay at the Dark Castle. It was not to be. Rumpel and Belle had been duly invited to the royal household on several occasions but as Belle’s time to deliver drew ever closer, the journey became too dangerous, even by magical means.

“Yes, it’s true, I should like to see Bae, and even little Henry, for Christmas,” Rumpel admitted to his love. “But if I must give up one special day in the company of my son, in order to protect my daughter’s welfare, so be it.” He smiled, putting a gentle hand to Belle’s swollen belly.

“You are quite determined that she’s a girl.” She shook her head. “You don’t know for certain. Do you?” she checked, eyes narrowing as he continued to smile.

“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t,” he teased her, leaning over to kiss her lips. “Won’t be long now until we find out for sure.”

He turned and walked across to the fire to stoke it up, ever mindful of Belle feeling the cold. She watched him a moment but asked no more questions. Belle knew very well that Rumpel could see certain things about the future, but not all. He described it as a puzzle with pieces missing. There had been no guarantees they would ever get home to this castle, and Rumpel had certainly been shocked enough when Belle announced her pregnancy. Maybe they would have a daughter and that would be wonderful, but Belle would be equally happy with a son of her own, and she was sure Rumpel wouldn’t mind at all.

Turning her gaze back to the window, Belle gazed out across the hills and valleys, all deep covered by pure white snow. She missed this, missed everything about this place. Though she had spent so little time here before her banishment and then her capture by Regina, she had already fallen in love with the castle and the grounds all around it. Nothing could compare to her love for Rumpelstlitskin and their family, but Belle’s affection for this place came a very close second. The Winter wasn’t permanent here, Rumpel had confirmed that much. They would see Spring, Summer, and Autumn, when the Dark Castle would live up to its name a little less fully, but Belle did so love the Winter months. Cold and uninviting as the season seemed to be, she adored the snow, the glittering blanket of crystals in every direction.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Rumpel as he came to stand behind her chair, kissing the top of her head.

“Only about the beauty of this place, and how happy I am to be here,” sighed Belle, leaning back into his warm embrace. “This time next year we’ll be out there in the snow, with a child of her own. I can teach her to make snow angels and build a snow man. It’ll be magical.”

Rumpelstiltskin smiled at the pretty images his beautiful Belle dreamt up so easily. Still, he couldn’t allow her to get away with everything she said.

“You referred to our baby as a girl, my love,” he told her with a teasing smile that she only saw when she tilted her head right back to look. “You believe me now?”

Belle had hardly realised it but she had indeed talked as if their baby would be a daughter. It wasn’t that she had ever disbelieved Rumpelstiltskin when he said their child would be female, she only argued that he couldn’t know for sure, at least she was fairly certain he couldn’t. Now she wondered if she had some kind of insight herself that she had not noticed before.

“All your talk of her as she has influenced me,” she shrugged. “We really are going to have to wait and see to know for sure.”

“Not much longer to wait now, dearie,” he reminded her. “Not much longer at all.”

_One year later_

It had been a long time coming to this point, in more ways than one. Nobody had ever truly believed Rumpelstiltskin could truly change, be it for love or anything else, nevermind rebuild his family a piece at a time. Magic hadn’t helped him, not this time. It had been the love of a good woman, a reunion with his most beloved son, and the birth of his daughter that had ultimately changed him for the better.

This year Christmas was quite the family affair, celebrated at the Dark Castle by not just Rumpel, Belle, and little Rose-Marie, but also Baelfire, Henry, Emma, Snow, and Charming. Of course, Rumpelstiltskin cared little for the Royals, but they had done him a good turn by accepting him as a changed man in their lives, most importantly in the life of the grandson they shared. Still, Rumpel focused almost entirely on his wife and children.

“Oh, don’t cry, darling,” said Belle as she picked her young daughter up out of the snow. “I know it’s cold, but look how pretty everything is. Look at the angel Mama made for you,” she encouraged her to look, but Rose-Marie wriggled and complained.

Snow angels were perhaps a little too much for a one year old to fully appreciate yet, but Belle had been so determined she would enjoy the snow. Poor baby wasn’t quite ready yet. Still, the family scene was something to behold, and Belle was sure she had never been happier.

“Should we take her inside, do you think?” Rumpel fussed as he appeared at her side, reaching out to baby Rose-Marie and pulling her hood back up around her tiny ears. “Is it too cold? I don’t feel it in the same way but...”

“She’s fine, Rumpel, I promise,” Belle assured him. “And I am more than fine myself,” she promised, laughing then as Bae and Henry took a tumble together thanks to a well-timed snow ball Emma had thrown. “I’ve never been happier.”

“Aye, I have to say, I did not see this day coming, but it is... it is all I could ever have wished for,” he admitted with an arm around her shoulders drawing Belle and the baby closer.

Rumpelstiltskin could think of nothing more to ask for on this perfect white Christmas at the Dark Castle.


End file.
